


Routines

by WattStalf



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, F/M, High School AU, I wrote this in high school, ive got three of my ocs in here, old story, speaking of which
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ebisu is a teacher, who does everything methodically and by-the-book. He has a very steady routine, which doesn't leave much room for romance. But when his high school crush is suddenly back in his life and a friend of his won't stop meddling, his routine might have to be broken.<br/>(An old story I never planned on posting, but now I am)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story in 2010. I lost half of it when a flash drive went missing, and gave up on it for a while. In 2013, I decided to try working on it again and edited it a lot, as well as got around to rewriting what was lost. I decided today to go back and edit a little more and post it here, even though it's pretty embarrassing and cringe-worthy.  
> Back in the day, I had these three OCs, Bara, Sunako, and Hikari, and this story has them in it. As I edit, i'll be posting more. I'm so sorry for this.

Every day, he did the same. Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to school, teach, grade papers until six, go home, fix himself dinner, read a book, occasionally watch television, go to bed, sleep for eight hours, and resume the process.

It goes without saying that Ebisu Nozomi was a man of routine. This routine was something that the twenty eight year old teacher never saw fit to break until one weekend...

Much like weekdays, he had a routine for the weekends as well. On Saturday, he would spend the day reading, grading, working on lesson plans, watching television, and, every once and a while do something with the other teachers. He didn’t go because he particularly enjoyed spending time with them but because it was expected of him to have some sort of social life and let it never be said that Ebisu didn’t do what was expected. A methodical, by-the-book man such as himself could never allow that.

As for Sundays, he did many of the same things as Saturday, minus spending time with the other teachers. Instead, he would do his grocery shopping for the week, always on the look out for something simple to prepare that would give him the recommended nutrients.

In other words, the man was boring. There are probably more polite ways to describe him, but it’s better not to beat around the bush. Yes, he was very boring and really didn’t want to go out to dinner with the usual group that night. That night in particular because the P.E. Teacher and track coach, Gai, was introducing his fiancée to the group.

Why was this an issue? It officially meant that he and Kakashi would be the only single men there, and he had his suspicions that Kakashi had been keeping a woman from them. In other words, he would be even more of an odd one out and it wasn’t something he could easily fix.

He had never thought about dating much since high school, after he was rejected once again by one of his temporary interests. He couldn’t recall ever really having a romantic interest in them, but saw them more as girls that would make suitable girlfriends for him. There had only ever been one girl he had ever been romantically interested in and he had never done anything about it. He had been confused about his feelings and unsure about how to go about pursuing someone he actually had feelings for.

In any case, it had been years since he had seen her and there weren’t any other women he had an interest in. He had never dated and didn’t see himself doing so any time in the near future. Still, he had to try his best to ignore the pangs of jealousy when yet another one of his “friends” announced their engagement.

As he made his way to the restaurant they were supposed to meet at, he tried to piece together an image of the woman that would fall in love with Gai. After all, he wasn’t conventionally good looking and was rather eccentric. Try as he might, he just couldn’t imagine such a woman and decided to instead wait and see.

When he walked in, he immediately spotted the group and took his usual seat, that was usually between Gai and Kakashi, but both seats were currently empty. He nodded in polite acknowledgment whenever anyone said hello to him. When Gai showed up, he had Kakashi with him, because everyone knew that were he not dragged there, he might “forget” to show up.

“As you all know, I recently proposed to the light of my life, the beautiful Sunako! Tonight, I want you all to meet her and her sister, who wanted to come along. They’re waiting outside; I’ll get them now!”

When he returned, he had a beautiful woman on his arm while the sister hung back, out of Ebisu’s range of vision. Beautiful, yes, and not at all the type he could see with Gai. She had long, jet black hair, clear, purple eyes, and a very impressive body…he shook his head; such thoughts as those weren’t proper. But…still…no! Maybe he could venture into that territory when home alone, but in front of other people, no. What if someone could tell just from his expression?

All that aside, she was extremely beautiful and the only thing that convinced him that she wasn’t being paid to wear the glittering diamond on her ring finger was the loving look in her eyes that couldn’t be easily faked. Upon closer look, however, he thought she looked _really_ familiar. Almost like…

“'Nako! Stop hogging the glory, let your single sister meet some men!” called the youngest girl present, a brunette named Hikari. She was only twenty and actually a former student, one who happened to be dating the English teacher, Jiraiya. No one could deny that they saw this relationship coming since she had entered his class a few years previous, considering how close the two had been.

It appeared she already knew the woman quite well. She stood up and drug the other girl out into view. “Guys, this is Bara, the cuter sister! And, yes, men, she’s single!”

It was at that moment when Ebisu’s jaw hit the floor. Of course. No wonder Sunako looked so familiar. With silky black hair tied back in a ponytail and glittering purple eyes, her sister was most definitely the same one who had snagged his heart back in high school.

Hikari, who had made it her personal mission to try and get Ebisu to be more social (this had so far failed) and declared herself his official best friend, seemed to take note of this and, grinning, shoved Kakashi out of his seat and sat down. She gestured for Bara to sit in Gai’s usual seat.

“You like her, don’t you?” Hikari whispered, giggling.

“H-Hikari, I wouldn’t say something like that,” he replied, also whispering. “But, no, I don’t ‘like’ her, I don’t even know her.”

“Oh, come on, I saw the way you were staring. I can-“

“Secrets, secrets are no fun, unless you share with everyone,” said Bara with a laugh, tapping Ebisu’s shoulder. When he turned around, her eyes grew wide and she gasped. “Eb...isu? Is that _you_? “

“M-Miss…Miss Marasuki?”

“Oh, you two have met before, have you?” asked the annoyance with a smirk.

“Yes, we attended high school together! He was a senior when I was a sophomore...we were both on committee for the back to school social both my freshman and sophomore year. Ebisu Nozomi…”

“Oh, yes…Bara…I th-thought you looked familiar,” he said, feeling his face heat up in a blush. If anything, she had gotten prettier with the years and was still just as sweet as he remembered. It was getting harder and harder to look her in the eye, especially with Hikari nudging him.

“Oh, wow, it’s been _forever_!” she exclaimed.

“Ten years,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“Ten years,” he said more clearly, looking slightly off to the side. “It’s been ten years since we saw each other.”

“Huh?” She blinked before smiling. “Yeah, I guess it has. Doesn’t seem like it’s really been that long, but I guess I’ve just been so busy with life…anyway, I’d love to get caught up sometime.”

“Oh, really?” Hikari chimed in. “You two should go get lunch together tomorrow!”

“Hey, that’s a good idea,” agreed Bara. “What do you say, Ebisu?”

“Um...I don’t know…” he said. “I’ll have to, uh, check my schedule and see if I’m free at all…in fact, I think Hikari and I already have plans tomorrow, so I guess we’ll have to do it some other time.” He was bullshitting. Plans with Hikari on a Sunday? Never! For one, he never spent time with his self-proclaimed “best friend” and, besides, Sunday was grocery day. He had a routine for that day and never made other plans.

“Oh.” She looked disappointed. “Well, I guess we can. I didn’t know Hikari was dating you. I thought she was still with Jiraiya.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Me and Ebisu? No way! Jiraiya’s the only one who can feed my appetite,” protested the annoying brunette, clearly not knowing the definition of _too much information_. She had seen right through Ebisu’s cover and added, “Can I talk to you alone?” She didn’t wait for an answer and instead drug him off to a secluded area.

“What are you _doing_?” she asked. “A drop dead gorgeous girl just asked you on a date and you’re _declining_?!”

“She’s not asking me on a date, she just wants to get caught up,” he found himself arguing mechanically. “Besides, I have a routine for Sundays, so I’m really not free.”

“I know all about your routine and maybe Bara’s the girl to break it!” Before he could protest, she said, “Look, I can tell from looking at you. You used to have a crush on her back in school. You were too shy to say anything about it to her. Little did you know, she had a crush on _you_ and wanted you to ask her out more than anything. Years passed, you were reunited, and now you’re both falling back in love.”

 _This is what happens when you try to talk to the girlfriend of someone who teaches writing._ “I…I… I never h-had any sort of cr-cr-crush on B…Bara,” he stuttered, unconvincingly. “I…I barely even knew her. It was just two committees…that’s all.”

“It was so much more than that!” Hikari argued. “You make it obvious that you’re in love with her. I know you, Ebi! You pretend like you’re some emotionless, stick-in-the-mud, but you’re actually just shy. And probably a romantic at heart. In fact, I bet you read romance novels when you’re alone at home!”

She was getting more and more annoying by the second. Not only had she used the pet name he had told her to _never_ call him, but she had hit the nail on the head with her assumptions about his personal life _(_ and that must be why they called it a _guilty_ pleasure) _._

“Look,” he said, frustrated. “Suppose, for a second, that you're right. Suppose I did like Bara back in school. And suppose I never told her and haven't really ever liked anyone since. Even suppose that seeing her tonight reminded me of how much I did like her. So what?”

“So what? So what?!” She looked as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. “This is a sign! The fates clearly wanted you two to meet again, and you're saying 'so what'?!”

“I highly doubt it's fa-”

“You can't let this golden opportunity pass you by. You _have_ to go out with her,” she insisted, interrupting him. “Bara's looking for a great guy, and I know you're just the guy for her.”

“E-even if I did go out with her...how would I act? I wouldn't know anything about it...I've never been on a date in my life,” he said. “N-not that it's a date or anything. I'm just using that as a point of reference. It'd be so presumptuous to think she meant a date when she asked me to catch up. I-I mean, that's just what it means. Catching up.” He laughed nervously.

“Ebi. Shut the hell up for a second,” Hikari said. He closed his mouth immediately and she giggled. “You're such a spaz sometimes, you know that? You don't need to worry about how to act. I'll help you figure it out. Just say yes.”

“I...” He was running out of rational arguments. At the end of the day, he wanted to go more than anything in the world. There wasn't a good reason not to, and Hikari had promised to help him anyway... “Alright,” he said at last. “I'll say yes.” Here, she squealed in excitement. “B-but only because I really do want to catch up. Not because I l-like her or anything.”

“Mhmm,” she said with a smirk. “I totally believe you...except not even a little bit. But whatever helps you sleep at night. Now get back out there and tell her yes!”

The two walked back to the table and took their seats again. “A-after talking a little bit with Hikari and doing some rescheduling, I can gladly t-take you up on that lunch tomorrow,” Ebisu said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Bara's eyes lit up. “Really? That's great! I know a cute little cafe I've been dying to try...it'll be so much fun!”

What had he gotten himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably one or two more chapters out of what I had written before, so we'll see what happens after that. I hate to admit that I like this story, but I did always think it was cute, so I might start writing on it again. Depends on how my other stories go.

“Just dress like you normally do,” Hikari said. “I'll admit, you're never casual, but it'll seem casual since it's how you're always dressed. Also, probably put in contacts. It won't seem like you're trying to hard, but it also seems like you're making an effort.”

“I don't even have contacts,” said Ebisu, panicked. So far, she hadn't given him much advice, only said a plethora of vague things that all eventually came back _just be yourself_! He was running out of time, and he still had no idea what to do on his date...outing! He couldn't get in the habit of calling this a date or he might say that in front of Bara and thoroughly creep her out.

“Then maybe just don't wear glasses? You're not that blind, are you?” Before he could answer, she shouted, “Wait! I totally forgot, Bara thinks glasses are kinda hot. You should probably forget everything I said about them before. Well, gotta go. Good luck, bye!”

“Hikari wait!” It was too late; she had already hung up on him. Not only was he still completely clueless about how to behave, but he had been left with some interesting... _thoughts_ after that comment that were hard to erase. This was already shaping up to be a disaster.

~X~

He had to remind himself several times that she wasn't late- he was just twenty minutes early. He had initially thought it would be the polite thing to do, but as he sat by himself in the ridiculously girly cafe she had selected, he realized how pathetic it must look. After fifteen minutes of sitting by himself, Bara came bustling in.

“I'm so sorry I'm so late,” she said, sitting down.

“You're not late,” he said. “You're actually early. Five minutes early. I was early too.” _Oh, that isn't too obvious or anything. Idiot._

“Oh, I hope I didn't make you wait long,” she said.

“N-no, of course not. I just got here not long before you,” he lied.

“That's good.” She smiled at him warmly, and he felt his face heat up. He was sure she could tell how hard he was blushing, but if she did, she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she asked, “So, how have things been for you? Hikari told me you teach tenth grade English now.”

“I do,” he said. “I really enjoy it. Even though there are some difficult students, it's such a rewarding career.” _I sound like a complete dork. Shift the focus, shift the focus..._ “So, what do you do?”

“I'm a wedding planner,” she replied. “I'll be planning Gai and Sunako's wedding, which I'm sure you'll be invited to.”

“I hope so,” he said, and it wasn't a lie. Once, he might not have wanted to go, but now knowing that he would see Bara there, he could even get excited for it. He was pathetic. “D-do you...enjoy wedding planning?”

“I love it!” Her eyes were bright and it was obvious that she wasn't exaggerating. “It's even better planning for my sister. I wish I could get an assignment from Hikari and Jiraiya, but I don't know if he'll ever pop the question...”

“I know what you mean,” Ebisu said. “I remember when she was in my class, and she always studied so hard to keep her grades up so that she'd be able to take his advanced class her senior year. She was infatuated with him from the instant she started high school.”

“It's so crazy about them. I want to say it's weird that she's dating her former teacher, but it's also kind of sweet.”

“It is. He'd always been a ladies' man, but he would never dream of getting near a student. There was just something different about her, though. She was as beautiful as any of the women he chased, could keep up with his sense of humor, and she was intelligent. He had the good sense to wait until she graduated and turned eighteen to pursue her, but it's always been obvious just from the way he looks at her that he's hopelessly in love with her.”

Bara fell silent and he realized just how sappy and downright _weird_ it was for him to say something like that. She would either make fun of him to his face or never, ever contact him again. Just when he thought things were starting to go well, he had to screw it up with that little spiel.

“S-sorry,” he said. “I know that was an odd thing to say...”

“N-no, no, not at all!” she said, waving her hands. “It's just...that was such a romantic way of putting it! Have you ever thought about writing?”

“Me? Oh, no, I don't have a creative bone in my body.” He laughed nervously. _Of course I can't tell her that it's just all the romance novels going to my head._

After that, they fell into a comfortable conversation. He soon forgot to be nervous, and they talked about anything and everything they could think of. When they had finished eating, he almost didn't want to leave, but he knew he would have to get his grocery shopping done.

“It was nice getting to see you, Bara,” he said, standing up.

“Yeah...” she replied, suddenly seeming distant. He wondered what was wrong. “U-um...Ebisu?”

“Yes?” he asked, concerned.

“Is this...um...is this a date?” she asked, face going bright red as she stared at the ground.

His eyes widened, and he felt himself blush, probably a much deeper shade of red than her. Was he hearing her correctly? “A...date?”

“S-sorry, that was out of line, I just...” She looked like she was about to cry.

“No! I mean...it's not that I don't want it to be a date, I really do. I just...I-I didn't expect you to want it to be, too. It just...took me by surprise is all. But if you want it to be a date, I already did so...um...”

“It's a date, then,” she said, smiling up at him shyly before pulling him into a tight embrace.

_She's hugging me, she's hugging me, oh my god, she's hugging me. And she feels so nice and warm and..._ He had to stop his thoughts there before they wandered into very dangerous territory, but he knew he would be remembering this for a very long time.

~X~

“How did it go?” Hikari asked, the instant he picked up the phone.

“It went great!” he said, unable to disguise his excitement. “She wanted it to be a date too and she hugged me and we talked about a lot of things and...it was so fantastic!” He was like a child, going on and on about it.

“I told you she liked you. Did you ask her out again?”

“No...” replied Ebisu. “Was I...was I supposed to?”

“It would have helped. But I guess you could just call her now. It's not proper date etiquette to call right after, but if you just say you meant to mention it but forgot, it should be okay...”

“But I...don't have her phone number,” he said, defeated.

“You didn't get her number?!” she screamed. “Are you a complete idiot? She probably doesn't think you're seriously interested in her now! And you can't just get her number from me and say you also forgot to ask for it too, then you just seem lazy.”

“Did I completely mess things up?” he asked, terrified. He hadn't realized there were all these other things he needed to do. He had been so happy at the time that he hadn't bothered to plan for the future.

“I might be able to save the situation yet,” she said. “I'll have to talk to Bara and see what she's thinking right now, but hopefully I can fix this. But you're gonna owe me one for this.”

~X~

Ebisu woke up the next morning, exhausted. He had tossed and turned all night wondering if Hikari had talked to Bara yet and what she had said and worrying about if she would ever want to go out with him again. It felt like he had only slept for ten minutes.

As he was dragging himself out of bed, his phone started ringing. That was odd. Who would be calling him this early in the morning? Unless...was it Hikari, with news? She rarely got out of bed before noon, but maybe she made an exception, just to let him know what the situation was. His hands were shaking as he picked up the phone.

“Hello?” He kept his voice steady, just in case it was someone completely different.

“Ebisu?” It was a girl's voice, but it wasn't Hikari. Could it be...? “It's Bara. Hikari gave me your number. I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go out again sometime this week.”

“Yes, of course,” he said quickly. He sounded much too eager, but he didn't want to risk her revoking the invitation. “When would you like to go?”

“I'm free Wednesday night, around eight. Do you want to get dinner then?”

Going out to eat on a _week night_? That was completely out routine, and basically unheard of for him. But it was Bara, and he really wanted to go... “I'd love to.”

“Great!” They discussed where they would meet, and though he had to rush to get ready for school on time, he was floating on air and nothing could bring him down. He was lucky he had such great self control or he might have started skipping.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I only had a short chapter left. I still have some written, but it's like an incomplete scene so I need to do some more writing on that before I can finish it.

During his lunch break, he tried to call Hikari to thank her, but there was no answer at her house. Usually she was awake by this point, so he wondered where she might be. He really wanted to thank her for it, so he decided to go see if Jiraiya knew where she was.

“Hey, um,” he said, as he entered the classroom. “I needed to thank Hikari for something, but she isn't answering...do you know where she is?”

Jiraiya smirked. “Oh, she stayed over last night, so she's probably still at my house.”

“Alright, thank you,” he said, turning to go back to his own classroom.

“Hey, wait,” the older man called after him. “I wanted to thank you myself. I know Hikari can have a...strong personality, but it makes her so happy to be able to 'help' you. I love her, but I know how crazy she can get sometimes. Thank you for keeping her entertained.”

“Oh, but she really is helping me!” said Ebisu. “Thanks to her, I have another date with Bara the day after tomorrow.”

“Do you, now?” Now Jiraiya looked intrigued. “And how are things going with her?”

“What, doesn't Hikari tell you everything?”

“Not a chance. You'd think, with a mouth like hers, she would, but I tried to ask about it and she told me it was none of my business.” He shrugged in a what-are-ya-gonna-do way.

Ebisu didn't know why, but it made him really happy to hear that Hikari, loud-mouthed Hikari, respected his privacy that much. She really was a good friend to him, even if he didn't care to admit it.

“Well, we've only been out once, but it went really well. I felt like I could talk to her naturally even though I was so nervous. And she hugged me before she left...” He blushed at the memory.

“Yeah, I bet you enjoyed that.” Jiraiya chuckled. Even he could tell that the other teacher was so inexperienced with women that even a simple hug could have a rather...”powerful” effect on him.  
“I...I have no idea what you're talking about,” he stuttered, his blush darkening.

“Oh, come on. I'm a taken man and even I've noticed that Bara is pretty hot. So, again I say, I bet you really enjoyed that. And before you try and deny knowing what exactly I'm referring to, I'll spell it out for you. Was that, or was that not, the closest you've ever gotten to, and excuse the crass, juvenile language, 'copping a feel'?”

His jaw dropped. “J-J-Jiraiya! How could you even _say_ something so improper?! I-if someone were to _hear_ us...it's just... _improper_!”

“Oh, come on,” Jiraiya said, rolling his eyes. “It's not a crime and we're all grown men here. I know you've got this high-and-mighty act going, but you're human and you're a _guy_. You seem to be pretty average in that regard, so you obviously can appreciate the appeal of a female. No one is going to think less of you for being normal.”

Ebisu was still appalled. No matter what his thoughts might suggest, he was determined to try and remain a gentleman...though he was right; Bara _was_ pretty hot...

He shook his head to try and expel those thoughts. “N-no matter what the situation may be, I...I have to go and call Hikari now, or I won't have any time to eat my lunch.” With that, he took off, before Jiraiya could say anything else.

When he got back to his classroom, he noticed that he didn't have much time left and would have to make his call to Hikari quick.

“Hello?” She sounded groggy. Perhaps she had slept a little later than usual today. He tried to avoid imaging what the cause was...

“Hello, Hikari.”

“Ebi? Did Bara call?” She instantly sounded more awake.

“She did,” he said, that ridiculously happy feeling welling up in him again.

“And?!”

“We're going out again on Wednesday night. I was calling to...thank you for talking to her for me.”

“Anytime,” Hikari said, sounding very pleased with herself. “But this time, you need to remember to ask her out yourself. She really will start to be afraid you're not interested if she has to make all the plans herself, every single time.”

“I know, I just...you know I'm not very experienced with this...”

“How inexperienced are we talking about here?” she asked. “I mean, you've given me the gist, but never the complete picture.”

“Yes, I did,” he replied. “I told you, I've never been on a date before going out with Bara. That should just about explain it all.”

She let out a gasp. “You mean to say you've...not even had your _first kiss_ before?”

“Obviously not...” He was glad she wasn't there so she couldn't see how red he had turned. He'd been doing quite a fair amount of blushing the past few days, he'd begun to notice.

“Ebi!” she screamed. “You're almost _thirty_ and you've never even been _kissed_! Oh my god, that means you're a _virgin_ too!”

“Hikari! W-we're not teenage girls at a sleepover...” That was all he could think to say in such a humiliating conversation. Of course, he was well aware that he was quite behind everyone else his own age and a vast majority of people younger, but he had never had it pointed out so bluntly to him.

“I'm just saying, it's a little weird,” she said, but then she giggled. “I guess it's a little cute though, that Bara was your only love and you've waited for her this long. So romantic...”

“I didn't _wait_ for her, I just...I never really got around to dating,” he mumbled. It was true that he hadn't genuinely been interested in anyone else, but did that mean he was waiting for her? It wasn't like he'd had a choice that the other girls weren't interested in him, and he had pursued them despite not being interested himself.

“Oh, Ebi,” sighed Hikari. “It's so obvious that she's your one true love. And it's pretty obvious that you're-”

At that moment, a few students began meandering in and he looked at the clock, realizing that his lunch break was over. He wanted to hear what Hikari had to say, but he was forced to say, “Hikari, I'm sorry, but my break is over, I have to go right now.”

He hung up and stared sadly at his uneaten lunch.

~X~

When Wednesday rolled around around, he was on edge all day. Ebisu was so nervous about his date that night that he did something he would normally never even dream of doing and strayed from his lesson plan.

“I know this is, um, a stressful time of year for all you, so, uh...today we'll be having a study hall. You can work on the paper I assigned or work for any other class,” he said, before sitting down at his desk.

“Geez,” he heard a student say, “what's got him in such a good mood?”

“He probably got a girlfriend or something. The other day he was on the phone with someone named Hikari...” another student replied.

“Well, I hope they don't ever break up. Then maybe we won't ever have to work again!”

He didn't bother to correct them for assuming that Hikari was his girlfriend. Instead, he tried to calm his nerves by reading a classic novel...though he had one of his romance novels hidden behind it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe I started writing this when I was fourteen fucking years old, and catch me at 21 trying to finish it. It's such an embarrassing fic but at the same time like??? Fourteen-year-old me would be so happy to know that I was still keeping the dream alive, and 2018 be the year I finish all the WIPs on my AO3, so away we go!

He had no idea what he was supposed to wear or do, and no matter what number he called, he couldn't get a hold of Hikari or Jiraiya. He contemplated asking Gai, since he was engaged to her sister, but he quickly dismissed that idea. It looked like he would just have to go this one alone.

He was honestly terrified. He waited to make sure that he would not show up more than five minutes early, but it was still agonizing to sit there and wait for that amount of time. Even more agonizing was waiting after the appointed time, and when he realized that she was late, he began to panic. What if she had had second thoughts and stood him up? What if she had never liked him in the first place and asked him on the second date as a joke?

He was practically shaking when she came rushing in the door. She apologized as she sat down across the table from him. “I'm so sorry I'm late, a client called me and would not stop talking...”

He gave a small sigh of relief. Of course she was just running late from work related things. Bara was a nice person, she wouldn't ask him out as a joke or stand him up or lead him on. That thought delighted him quite a bit, because it also meant that she must genuinely like him.

“That's quite alright,” he said. “I'm just glad you got here safely.”

“How was your day?” she asked, still sounding like she was trying to catch her breath.

“It was an easy day, honestly. The students were reviewing, so it was more of a study hall,” he replied, feeling a little embarrassed as he remembered using that an excuse because he was too excited and nervous to properly teach.

“Lucky!” she said in a teasing tone. “Today was super hectic towards the end, I was lucky to be able to get over here when I did. I was so afraid I would have to cancel!”

“I’m really glad you didn’t.” As soon as he finished saying it, he wondered if it was too far, but he tried not to let his insecurity show on his face. He knew that if he was going to get anywhere with her, it was time to be more serious, and stop trying to hide his feeling when he was starting to have reason to believe she felt the same.

“So am I.” As she spoke, Bara lowered her lashes almost shyly, and he felt his heart skip a beat. “I...I actually had a question.”

“Oh? About what?”

“Well, I...we’ve been going out but have we been...this is going to sound so weird!” she exclaimed, and to Ebisu, it really looked like she was blushing. “Have we been going  _ out _ ? I know it was a date before, it’s so weird for me to keep bringing it up, but since we keep doing it, well…”

“W-well?” He could hardly even speak.

“Some people say that if you go out three times, that means you’re officially a couple, so...if we go out again…” She looked down for a moment before looking back up and saying, “I’m really serious about you! I’m sorry if that’s weird!”

For moment, he could hardly think at all; even knowing that his feelings were likely reciprocated in some way, he never could have dreamed that she would want to enter a relationship this early on. To date someone and let someone into his life would throw off his routine permanently, but in that moment, he was ready to do anything if it meant that he would get to keep seeing her.

“It’s not weird at all,” he finally said, knowing that he shouldn’t hesitate for long, lest he give her the wrong idea. “I’m...serious about you as well, Bara. If you’d like to be...um, in a relationship with me, then I would definitely like that as well.”

A smile broke out across her face, and he felt as if she were squeezing his heart. “Really? I’m so happy! Getting to meet you again was amazing!”

“I never expected to get to see you again,” he said, “but there was a part of me that always hoped that I would. Now I’m the one who gets to sound weird...I had a quite a crush on you in high school, and I’m not sure if I ever completely got over it. Like I said, I know that must sound weird, but…”

“I don't think it's weird at all,” she interrupted. “In fact, I...think that's really sweet, Ebisu. Actually, I think it might have been the same for me?”

“You think?”

“Well, I...well! I really enjoyed being around you, and looked up to you and admired you, but I didn't think about it until it was too late, that maybe I had a crush on you? I was kind of clueless with stuff like that back then, and it took me to long to figure it out.”

It sounded too good to be true, but she was sitting there, saying it to him, and he had no choice to believe her, about that and everything. He couldn’t help but smile, bigger than he was used to smiling, as he said, “I’m so happy.”

“Mostly, I had forgotten about that, but when I got to see you again, it all came back to me, and I was so happy to be able to meet you again, and go out with you. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to let you get away this time!”

“You have no idea how strange it is for me to hear you saying these things,” he replied, before clearing his throat. “I suppose I need to formally ask you now...Bara, would you like to be my girlfriend?” He felt like a teenager, asking a question like that, but then, he never had the chance to do anything like that when he  _ was _ a teacher, so perhaps he earned the right as an adult.

“I’d love to,” she said. “My schedule can be weird when I have weddings, but I’ll do my best to keep seeing you like this! Which reminds me, do you want to be my date to my sister’s wedding? You’re probably going to be invited anyway, but just in case!”

Ebisu gladly accepted her invitation, and the two of them enjoyed the rest of their date. Their first real date as a couple, and, he hoped, the first of many to come.

~X~

It was easier to reach Hikari after his date, and, after apologizing for not being around when he needed her, asked how it went, and when he gave her the good news, all she said was, “I knew you could do it.”

“You didn’t dodge my calls on purpose, did you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Well, you had to take control of your own love life eventually,” she replied, almost off-handedly. “Either way, it all worked out! I’m proud of you, and I hope you enjoy your journey into adulthood!”

“H-Hikari, don’t say it like that!” he protested, glad that she couldn’t see him blushing, but even so, he could not help but grin.


	5. Chapter 5

After a few months passed, Ebisu was delighted that his relationship with Bara was still going strong. They’d seen each other as often as they could with her hectic schedule, and he had done what he could to accommodate it. It had been difficult at first, trying to break his routine, but for her, he found that it was worth it, and he would rather do things out of order than miss out on seeing her when she had the time.

As Hikari said before, Bara did turn out to be the one to break his routine, and he was much happier about it than he’d expected to be.

She got a little more frazzled as her sister’s relationship drew closer, but he did all he could to be there for her and support her, even offering help if it was something that he would be able to help with. She wanted things to be perfect, which he understood, and there were times when he was able to reassure her, whenever she had her doubts about some of her plans.

When the day of the wedding came, there wasn’t much chance for the two of them to see each other, since she was both the planner and one of the bridesmaids, but she promised to have some time for him during the reception, and he had the other teachers- who still tease him about finally getting a girlfriend- to sit with. Gai looked ready to cry throughout the whole of the ceremony, and his bride didn’t look that far away from tears herself; all in all, it was clear that they were absolutely crazy about each other, and it was a very pleasant ceremony.

Once the reception was underway, Bara finally found some time to come talk with Ebisu, sitting down at the table he had chosen, saying, “Are you having a good time? I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy.”

“Nothing to worry about there,” he replied, “I’ve been just fine on my own. You’ve done such a wonderful job, you know.”

“I finally get a chance to sit,” she said with a happy sigh, taking a seat next to him. “Technically I’m supposed to sit with the bridal party, but I don’t think Sunako will mind me hanging out here for a little while.”

But while they were enjoying their time together, a man who looked similar to both Bara and her sister began to make his way toward them, and Ebisu had a very, very bad feeling about this.

“Hello, Oda,” Bara said, giving Ebisu a look before turning to face the man. Oda. Of course he knew that name. He knew her sister, so how could he not at least know about her brother? And Hikari had told him enough horror stories about the over protective man that he had hoped to put off meeting him for as long as possible.

“Weren’t you going to introduce me?” he asked, sitting down at their table without invitation. “Ebisu, isn’t it? You’re the one dating my sister, and without making any effort to meet the family?”

“While, I, um...she and I are both rather busy, so-”

“And now you’re speaking for her?”

“I wasn’t speaking for her, I only-”

“I’d like for you to quit dodging the subject, and just tell me exactly what you’re trying to do. If you honestly think that you-”

“Alright, I’ve rested enough!” Bara suddenly exclaimed, standing up and extending a hand. “Ebisu, would you like to dance with me?”

Under most circumstances, he would have tried to decline, not being much of a dancer, but he could see that this was a way out, and he followed her, hoping that they could evade Oda like this. He took her hand and followed along behind her to the dancefloor, ignoring when her brother called after her. Fortunately, Oda didn’t try to follow, and so Ebisu’s life was spared for at least another day. He would have to face the other man eventually, but perhaps he would have more time to mentally prepare himself for that encounter.

Once he and Bara were together on the dance floor, he steeled himself, hoping that he would be able to fake his way through dancing with a woman for the first time. At the very least, she seemed to know what she was doing, and it was a slow enough song that he was able to keep up with her.

“Sorry about my brother,” she said. “I probably should have warned you that he would pull something like that, but I’ve just been so busy that I kind of forgot.”

“It’s alright,” he replied, trying to play it cool. “After all, Gai was able to woo your sister into marriage, so I’m sure I’ll be just fine. N-not that I’m already suggesting that we-”

“It’s alright,” interrupted Bara with a giggle. “I know what you mean. But it’s okay to think seriously from the beginning, don’t you think? I mean, there’s not much point in dating if we can’t imagine a future, right?”

He felt his face go entirely red at her words, but she echoed a sentiment he’d always held. The only reason he hadn’t voiced that before was because he was afraid that it would come across as too forward, since it was not a viewpoint that a lot of people shared, at least not openly. Honestly, the fact that Bara thought along the same lines of him made it seem even more ideal, though maybe he was just getting too romantic again.

“I’d like that,” he finally replied, when he realized he had been too quiet for too long. “To think about things seriously, I mean.”

“That’s great,” she murmured, and she pressed closer to him. He had been keeping his distance while they danced together, but she closed that distance as if it was nothing, and he bit his lip. There was a  _ reason _ he didn’t want to get to close to her, and every hug and every kiss they’d ever shared came back to him then.

“I’ve been meaning to say this for a while,” she went on, and he tried to keep his mind on the subject at hand. “Ebisu, I...I really think I love you.”

“You do?” he asked, and for a moment, he felt like his heart may have stopped. “I-I mean, of course, I do too! Of course I love you, Bara, I…”

“I’m so glad,” she said with a smile, before moving in so close that he could not see her face very well at all, and then it was impossible to think about anything other than her closeness, and the way her body felt against his. He knew that this was an important moment for the two of them, and that his own desires were interrupting, and so he took a step back, just to put a little more distance between them.

“Oh,” she said, and she sounded a bit hurt. “Was that too close?”

He felt bad for possibly sending the wrong message, and quickly said, “No, no, it’s nothing you did. I just don’t...that is...this is a horrible thing to admit to, but I don’t trust myself being so close to you, I’m afraid I might…”

Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Bara moved in close again, causing him to trail off. “You might…? I’m not sure what exactly you’re going to say, but...I probably won’t mind either way.”

_ That _ made it impossible for him to speak for the rest of their dance, and made it impossible for him to keep his thoughts pure for the rest of the reception. And, needless to say, she was the one who made the first move once they were alone that night, and Ebisu didn’t think he would ever understand how he got to be so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone actually read this to the end, thank you for sticking through something that I wrote back in high school, and the ending I managed to pull together all these years later. I know my fourteen year old self would be so happy I finally got the confidence to post so much with OCs in it


End file.
